Last year, Council hired a team of experts to examine and redefine our ward boundaries. Their mandate was to looking at the size and shape of Toronto's wards, and ensure each person in Toronto is fairly represented at City Council. The consultants also took into account natural boundaries, keeping communities united, and growth patterns for the future, to ensure stability beyond the next few elections. In their final report, they recommended a new set of boundaries that created 47 wards.

At council, there were some members who wished that Council stay at its current number of 44 wards. While the consultants did create a set of boundaries that only had 44 wards, they explained to Council that this would not be the ideal solution, and does not take into account the direction from the communities they consulted. In the end, I voted with the majority of Council to accept the consultant’s original proposal for 47 wards. This would mean a change in our boundary

EX19.1 - Transit Network Plan Update and Financial Strategy

Council voted to continue to support the transit stop additions along the GO Rail lines, which is the current version of the Mayor’s SmartTrack plan. The debate at Council primarily focused on two major issues, how the City will pay for SmartTrack, and what aspects of the overall long term transportation network will be built.

My primary problem with this current proposal is the lack of long-term financing and the possible revenue tools to pay for it. We must also know once built what will be the annual cost for the City for maintenance, and what will be the subsidy per ride. While it is agreed that Council has gone too long without investing in new transit, Council has yet to find a way to finance this project. As the Mayor puts forward a plan to cut 2.6% from the budget of every City department, the City must find way to ensure that transit can be built while protecting our City’s services. City staff will present a report on financing options in a few weeks. I believe we will be in a better position to discuss this plan when all information is on the table, and we know what could be lost by supporting this plan without increasing taxes or user fees.

EX18.7 - Expo 2025: Feasibility Consideration

For the past four years, Councillor Wong-Tam and a large community of people have been working towards a bid for the 2025 World Exposition to be held here in Toronto. After an extensive planning process, City staff recommended that the Portlands be considered for such an event, all though a 2025 date would not give the necessary time for construction. While Council voted to not move forward with a bid for the 2025 event, we left the door open for a bid in 2030, should the timing work in our favour.

The staff report and revised proposal allowing for a for a fifty-bed shelter at 731 Runnymede Road was approved. I am grateful for the hard work of the local residents who volunteered their time for weekly meetings this summer as part of the Community Liaison Committee, working alongside City Staff, Councillors and local agencies. Their thoughtful consideration of the proposal and needs of the local community helped inform the report brought to Council. The community feedback and engagement on this issue have led to a broader discussion about how we support our local neighbourhoods while living up to our obligations as a City to provide shelter for those in need.

For a full update on all the work that has taken place, please visit my 731 Runnymede website.

I am thrilled to share that after almost a decade of work, the Holodomor Memorial has been approved to be installed at Exhibition Place. The Holodomor was a man-made famine in Ukraine that lasted from 1932 and 1933, killing millions of Ukrainians. The Ukrainian-Canadian Congress has worked diligently to have this monument installed, and to raise awareness about this tragedy. It is wonderful to see their hard work pay off.

The vote regarding Tuggs Inc. sub-lease to Cara Operations was difficult, as I could see both sides of this issue. While residents of the Beaches were upset at the proposal of a large chain restaurant owner setting up shop in parklands, legally, the vote was whether Cara could fulfill the lease agreement, not whether council supported their restaurant. The existing contract allows for such a transfer to happen, and City Staff supported this proposal. I firmly believe City Council made an error back in May 2010 when they voted against the staff report and allowed the sole-sourcing of the area to Tuggs Inc, and going against staff’s recommendation again would only exacerbate this problem.

I am happy to share that Council overwhelmingly supported the local Councillors’ initiative to try to initiate negotiations with Tuggs to buy out his remaining exclusive rights to offer food, beverage and sponsorship rights at four city parks: Woodbine Beach, Kew Gardens, Beaches and Ashbridges Bay.

I was pleased to join Council and vote to have a comprehensive study of the proposed Rail Deck Park. Currently, the downtown core is suffers from a parkland deficiency. This problem will increase exponentially over the next 25 years, as the population is expected to double to nearly 500,000 people. To ensure Toronto stays a liveable city, we must take action now to solve this imbalance. The downtown, like all of Toronto, needs green space for residents, workers, and those visiting our City. This project has the potential to elevate these problems, and this study is the first step forward to see if this is the right approach to take.

The one thing all Councillors agree on is that we dramatically need to improve our transportation network in Toronto. While one topic dominated the debate, Council voted overwhelmingly to support taking the next steps to implement the relief line, extensions to the east and west ends of the Eglington Crosstown (which includes a 17 to 18 stop LRT in Scarborough) and a revised version of SmartTrack. These measures will help get Toronto moving, and create a better transit throughout our City.

Where Council differed is in regards to the Scarborough Subway extension. When I was elected in 2010 we had a provincially fully funded LRT plan for Scarborough, a lower price tag, and served more residents. Since the LRT was scrapped under the Ford administration, we have seen the proposed Scarborough Subway extension budget explode to 3.2 billion dollars, while the number of stations has been reduced from three to one. I could not support this proposal when it was first introduced, and there is even less reason to now. We have also learned that 48% of Scarborough residents live, work and travel within Scarborough, with only 23% coming downtown. We need transit that carries the most riders and is cost effective for the City. The one stop Scarborough Subway extension does neither.

Unfortunately, the Scarborough subway was not the only disappointment at Council. After supporting the over three billion dollar, one stop subway, my fellow Councillors supported a motion by the Mayor for all city departments and agencies to find a 2.6% cut in next year’s budget. Since I was elected six years ago, we have asked all of our departments to continually make cuts, or stay status quo every year (despite inflation). We have seen services diminished, and complaints go up as residents cannot access the services they once did. Residents wanting traffic reports have to wait up to 4 months longer than they did when I was first elected. Just this month we have seen service reduced on the Swansea bus even though I am asking for enhanced service. Our City needs to grow, and we do that through improving our city services.

Over the past year, the number of calls, emails and letters to my office regarding road safety has more than doubled. Residents are concerned, and the City, through the Road Safety Plan, is starting to take action. Council approved over fifty safety measures to be deployed at high-risk locations to reduce serious collisions. These include expanded use of “watch your speed” radar signs, street lighting improvements and longer pedestrian crossing times. We also allowed for the creation of “pedestrian safety corridors” Areas notable for serious collisions will be targeted for safety measures such as lower speed limits and no-right-turn-on-red provisions.

While I was happy to vote in favour of this plan, it is only a first step. Most of the details focus primarily on the downtown core. The silver lining is that this report does support our efforts to lower the speed on Ward 13’s residential streets to 30 km/h to make for a consistent speed, which will be coming to Community Council in September.

As Vice-Chair of the Board of Health, I have learned a great deal regarding the importance of safe injection sites during the past year. Over the last 10 years, we have seen a 77% increase in the number of deaths due to overdose. We have heard from voices across the City, including those that use drugs and their families, social workers, and the Medical Officer of Health, all stating something must be done.

Toronto City Council voted overwhelmingly in favour to implement three supervised Injection sites at existing community health centres on Queen St. West, near Yonge and Dundas, and in Leslieville. This public health response will save lives, improve the health of people who use drugs, help them change their life style, and make our communities safer.

During the first day of Council I started to receive a number of calls regarding Car2Go vehicles being parked on our residential streets. Despite being denied such an agreement with the City, Car2Go has unilaterally decided to allow their members to park on residential streets. As there is no agreement or special consideration, these vehicles are subject to the same rules as any other non-permitted vehicle, and will be fined if caught parking illegally. Car2Go has stated they have hired 20 people to monitor the cars by GPS and to move the cars to the agreed upon spaces in Green P and private parking lots.

I put forward a successful urgent motion to ask that the City and Toronto Police actively monitor to ensure Car2Go fully complies with all parking regulations. It also asked the Manager of Transportation Services to advise Car2Go that they can only park on City streets in a manner that is in full compliance with all parking regulations. It is my hope that we can ensure parking remains available for permit holders. Please do not hesitate to let me know if this issue is affecting your street.

EX13.24 - Advance Voting Days

During the last municipal election, I heard from a number of university and college students who were disappointed with how difficult it was to vote while they were away at school. To make it easier for students to vote, I made a friendly amendment to a proposal to examine adding addition days of advanced voting to the next municipal election. The City will now be looking into adding advanced voting during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, to allow those returning to the City a chance to have their voices heard.

EX13.1 - Local Appeal Body (LAB) for Toronto

I voted with Council to establish a Local Appeal Body for the City of Toronto. Currently, any Committee of Adjustment ruling can be appealed to the Ontario Municipal Board, the same board of the Ontario government that hears appeals on our large scale developments. Under the new decision, C of A will be appealed to this new local board. There will also be a new mediation service offered, which will allow property owners and neighbours to try to work out their differences before an appeal. While we are still in the first steps of the establishment of this system, I look forward to what could come for residents of our ward.

As I mentioned in the June 2015 Council Update, I voted against the so-called “hybrid” option for the Gardiner Expressway. I believed the grand avenue option was best for the City in terms of budget and the access to our City’s waterfront. Unfortunately, as that motion passed, the issue returned to Council this month with three proposed routes the hybrid could follow. In this case, while I wanted to vote against this motion due to my distain for any hybrid option, I voted for the staff recommendation, which followed the wishes the local residence and business associations, as well as the local Councillor. While this option was the best of a bad set, this proposal went the furthest to protected the water and create a livable community for the local residents.

This week the City passed the 2016 capital and operating budget. While I cannot say I am thrilled with the final results, there are some important measures that did make it through.

Throughout the budget process Councillors on all sides of the political spectrum shared their concerns regarding Toronto's revenue problem. Despite this fact, in this budget we did not agree to look at alternative revenue tools, and we failed to keep up with the current rate of inflation. I strongly supported Councillor Shelley Carroll's motion to have our property tax increase be based on the current rate of inflation. Unfortunately, Council voted to use last year's rate, putting the City further behind. After two consecutive Mayors making these cuts, the programs and services we rely on are at continued risk.

One important motion that would have improved services while maintaining the Mayor's proposed tax rate would have been to reduce the increases to the Toronto Police Services budget. While other departments were mandated to make a 2% cut, Toronto Police Services received a budget increase of over 2.7% or 24 million dollars. By reining in the TPS budget, items such as child care, our parks, and housing could have seen much needed support. I supported Councillor and former Police Board Member Michael Thompson on this motion, despite the fact it did not pass.

There were some bright sides to this budget. I am happy to announce that funding for the previously approved skating project on Grenadier Pond project was approved. Our planning staff received the funding needed to carry on with work that is important to our ward, such as staffing for area studies and heritage conservation districts.

Working together, we can keep pushing for a financial plan for our city that is sustainable and just. Thank you to all who took the time to share your thoughts and ideas on this with me.